Jake is a man in his mid 50’s, with no front teeth, but a good head on his shoulders and a history of hard work and putting his only child through college.  His plight began as so many, when the economy fell.  Working in real estate he found himself on the verge of homelessness, and with his heart operation, he lost everything.  He was grateful to be at RAIN and soon became a model resident.  He went to Job Club, did his chores, worked with other residents and did everything he could to find work.  He found part time work a few weeks after entering, saved his money and began to pay down debt. But this was short term and soon he was struggling to find employment again. Jake’s age, no teeth and his car in another State, made getting back on his feet seem an insurmountable task.

Jake’s first break came when a friend, who owns a Hotel, needed help when one of his managers went on vacation. Jake took the job and was happy to help his friend and establish an income. The next break came when the Camarillo Children’s Dental Group came to RAIN to see our children. They came equipped to screen and set-up follow-up appointments. To our delight they included our adults, one of which was Jake.  They took imprints of his missing front teeth and 2 weeks later Jake had teeth and a beautiful smile.  Soon after, Jake found out that the Night Manager at his friend’s hotel was retiring. Jake jumped at the opportunity, and an income started to flow.  His next move was to retrieve his vehicle; he took a bus to Nevada and collected his car.

With transportation, full time employment, debt paid, pride in his appearance, self-respect and health intact, Jake moved to permanent housing.

Edna soon recognized her role in the family, as Eddy struggled to recover, Edna found work, childcare and began saving. With the help of RCI therapists, Edna and her sons surrendered to the reality of mental illness and the issues that faced their husband and father. As Eddy made the slow recovery from psychosis, Edna and the boys went to work, school and daycare and loved each other.

With the help of the Department of Rehabilitation, a partner with RAIN, Eddy was able to get a diagnosis and disability paperwork completed. This allows Eddy to participate in the family’s financial needs and is an important part of his recovery. Accepting the needs of her husband and family, Edna contacted her family in Texas and a job was arranged. With their finances under control, a car purchased, and a better understanding of each other this lovely family moved to Texas, to housing and family.

Many thanks to Montecito Bank & Trust for the recognition, the awards ceremony, and the grant.

With the children in school and set with tutors from School on Wheels, they made a quick adjustment to life at RAIN. With the trauma of escaping domestic violence, the children and their mother worked with our therapists and soon began the slow path to healing from trauma.

With employment from a local dress shop, Kate saved and when her ability to purchase a car was foreseeable, her Social Worker made arrangements for her to take driving lessons to gain confidence, and soon after bought a car with the help of RCI Board member, Jerry DeVillers.  To help improve her ability to communicate, Kate’s Social Worker made arrangements for her to work with an English teacher and soon her language skills improved. With transportation and more confidence, Kate was hired by the County of Ventura in a full-time position with increased income.   With one more barrier to go, Kate found help from RCI’s attorneys, and with the gift of free legal assistance she found a resolution to her visa problem.

This lovely family is now living in Ventura.

A very bright young woman, she looked for work with the determination of a mother bear protecting her young.  After several rejections she was able to gain employment and began saving.  With a suspended driver’s license, Sandy worked hard to complete community services hours to decrease her fines through Homeless Court and win back her right to drive.  After months of work she was awarded her license and with her savings purchased a car.  With transportation resolved, she took on a second job to increase savings and pay down past debt.

Sandy worked hard with her Child Protective Service Social Worker and was given time to spend with her son, a teenage boy recovering from cancer.

Sandy left RAIN to live at a sober living center in Oxnard.  She left with a car, driver’s license, a job and with luck, a chance to have a relationship with her son.

Soon after his girlfriend of many years, June, joined Joe after giving birth to their second son.  June’s past was as laden with legal issues and drug abuse as Joe but she, like Joe, showed tenacity in her search for work and gained employment after weeks of pounding the pavement.

With fines and a driver’s license on hold, both worked with Homeless Court and completed hours of community service work to gain their right to drive.  With license in hand, Joe picked up his beloved car and started on the road to self-sufficiency.

After months of following their case plan, Joe and June saved money, paid off debts, and drove their family to permanent housing.

Judging took place on December 21. Here the the results (click on images to see them full size):

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

Runner Up

Ricky’s first 2 months at RAIN was considerably more difficult.  The number of community service hours needed to clear his license was higher than Lucy’s, and his record posed more of a challenge.  He started his road to self-sufficiency by going to the CalWORKS job club.  This helped him develop a resume, feel more confident and set up a routine.  After completing the job club, Ricky spent most of his day looking for work.  With a record, he received a number of rejections, but he stood the course and landed a job.

Both Ricky and Lucy had a difficult time separating from their little ones.  While at RAIN they needed to attend parenting and other self-sufficiency classes, so they got used to placing their children in the hands of other caring adults.  Soon the children were placed in daycare, and both mom and dad were free to seek employment.

After much searching Ricky found a job.  He went every day, came home tired at night, but his shoulders were squared, his head was up and his self confidence was palatable.  Within a month, Ricky got a call from an old employer who wanted very much to have him back on his payroll.  Ricky was thrilled, he loved the work and the pay would support his family.  Soon after Ricky completed his Homeless Court hours and regained his driver’s license.

Within 5 months at RAIN, this little family repaired some old damage, got their drivers license and their car back, their children were safe in childcare, dad was working and mom soon would be. They now live in their own apartment and we wish them well.

The process goes as follows: figure out what family size you, your company, family or friends can feasibly handle (our smallest size is a single adult and our largest family size is eight).

After we figure out the family for you, we will send you a copy of a wish list which consists of clothing sizes for pants, shirts, jackets, shoes and toys for each person in the family. We will give you the names, ages and gender of the entire family. We are looking for donors to purchase a mixture of both clothing and toys for our children. We kindly ask this as many of our children and adults need clothing to keep warm this winter.

The Adopt-a-Family gifts are to be opened on either Hanukkah, if the resident is of that faith, or opened on Christmas morning. These gifts should come wrapped with names on each present and it is up to you if you want the family to know who adopted them or not. All these gifts should be new as it is traditional in Holiday giving.

This is a very fun and rewarding way to share the gift of giving to someone less fortunate than you. Help spread cheer in the lives of our families that are trying to get back on their feet and back into the real world with a new perspective on life and people. Happy Holidays!

Please e-mail Isaac Romero at RAIN with any questions or to request details on a family to adopt.

The due date for all adoptions to be dropped off at RAIN will be on Friday, December 21nd 2012 @ 8PM.

Also please note that due to confidentiality, it is completely up to the residents to agree to meet their donor or not.

Audrey Walzer, the Director at Camarillo Yoga Center, was voted “Ventura County’s Best Yoga Teacher” in both 2011 and 2012. We know Audrey is the best and appreciate her continued support of RAIN and the homeless of Ventura County.